Boy…do I have a unique oolong for you today! It’s Imperial Pearl Oolong from Mountain Tea. It’s considered to be a BRANDY Oolong and is on the more rare side of oolongs you may have (or have not) tasted. If you manage to get your hands on it – I highly recommend it!
A brief overview of Brandy Oolongs are as follows…
It’s made from a special cultivar of the tea plant unique to Taiwan that is highly oxidized (85-90%) and has only recently been introduced to western tea enthusiasts. It’s also known as “Ruby-18″ which is a style of oolong initially created by crossing the Assamica tea varietal with the native tea plant to produce a tea that has become the favorite for tea enthusiasts of every age.
Before infusing I thought the dry leaf of Imperial Pearl Oolong from Mountain Tea smelled a bit like pine. Post infusion Brandy Oolong’s rich and amber brew hints of spice, cinnamon, and sweet-creamy malt notes REALLY come out to play! There is a tinge of crusty and bakey-ness to it that morphs into a sweet yet malty sip. Another thing I find interesting about this tea is when it’s fully brewed it has to be one of the darkest oolongs I have ever sampled!
Imperial Pearl Oolong from Mountain Tea was the winner of the 2012 NATC – Dark Oolong Category – Judge’s Choice Award for Exceptional Tea – as well as the winner of the 2011 NATC – Black Tea Category – 2nd Place. And I can totally understand why! Shame on me for procrastinating on the taste test and review for this one! It’s flipping fantastic and now among my favorite oolongs to date!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Mountain Tea
Description
This rare brandy oolong (what is brandy oolong?) is a must have in your tea chest.
You will be enraptured with notes of molasses, honey and maple syrup. The dry leaf recalls the fragrance of ground red pepper, a splash of hot water and the nose transforms into something more savory and miso-like. We only picked the tenderest leaves of our prized oolong plants to create this exceptional tea; in doing so, we created a tea that is deep amber in color and pointedly sweet in flavor, sans astringency or bitterness.
Hotter water and longer steeping times will brew a more complex and spicier tea. Lower water temperature and shorter steeping times will brew a sweeter tea. Imperial Pearl is also known as Red Oolong in the East.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Mint Green Oolong from My Green Teapot. . . . .
If you are a fan of mint. . spearmint to be exact. . .I highly recommend you continue reading. If you aren’t a fan, this tea is probably not for you. I am a huge mint fan so I couldn’t have been more excited when this tea arrived at my door.
Never ordering from My Green Teapot, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I certainly didn’t expect the teas to arrive in adorable little take out containers. This tea instantly grabbed my attention and I quickly skipped to my kettle to prep my water. While the water was prepping, I opened the pouch and was greeted with an amazingly intense cooling spearmint aroma. One that I enjoyed insanely so. Being 100% honest, the smell did remind me a bit of toothpaste, but again, being the mint fan I am, this didn’t waiver me in checking this oolong out.
Allowed to steep for a few minutes and cooled, the first sip of this tea revealed that refreshing cooling minty love I was hoping it would in a more spearmint variety. Refreshing, cooling, and soothing with a lovely mouth feel. The minty aroma in combination with the minty flavors gave me all the minty feels and love. The oolong leaves are providing this wonderfully smooth texture that make me want more.
Subsequent steepings yielded the same smooth refreshing cooling flavor but the mint flavor does subside a bit each infusion. The tea does have a note of astringency that does seem to increase each infusion as well.
All in all, I do love the experience I had with this tea. It is a unique version of a mint flavored tea that I haven’t had before. . .and I’ve tried a lot of mint teas. But being 100% honest, I will admit a few notes in regards to this tea. Even I will say that when I first opened the pouch, I was afraid that the mint was even too much for me. This tea is immensely infused with mint, but to me this is a good thing. I will also admit that after drinking this tea for the last couple of hours, I feel like I’ve brushed my teeth and at the same time- had a very dry mouth feel, which prompted me to drink more of this, causing more of this brushed teeth feel and dry mouth experience.
The more I think about this tea, the more I can see myself needing more of it sooner rather than later. The tea is extremely memorable and unique. With how much tea I drink on a daily basis, that is saying something. The cooling effect this tea delivers is one I can’t seem to get enough of. A proper cold brew of this tea is in my future for sure.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: My Green Teapot
Description
Our Mint Green Oolong Teas are all natural whole leaf teas from Taiwan infused with mint.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Dark Iris from August Uncommon Tea. . . . .
I have a beef with the iris family. My irises didn’t come up last spring. After several years of faithful blooming, they just gave up the ghost. Literally zero emerged. I have no idea why. I’m irritated about it. There was a huge hole in my garden. Luckily, it was off to the side, but still.
This tea is called “Dark Iris,” which reflects irises, and my feelings about them at the moment.
According to August Uncommon, it’s a “rich oolong with peach, pistachio, and lime” that “feels like Georgia O’Keefe flowers.”
The primary flavor I taste here is the peach, made spiky and edgy by the lime. Yum. Whoever came up with this is pretty smart. This is really well-balanced. I wish they’d release a Sprite/Sierra Mist with some peach in it. I’d drink it. There’s also some deep/spiciness, which might be the lime, but I think is the oolong and maybe some spices. After I’ve swallowed, there’s a very faint hint of floweriness. Rose is an ingredient. I could be imagining it, though, just as I’m imagining the nuttiness. I think there’s a tiny bit of cream, which could be “nut” or “sweetness of flower” or “just my imagination.”
Either way, this is a really great, unique blend that I recommend you try!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: August Uncommon Tea
Description
The iris is a flower long revered for its majesty. It has been a favorite of royalty and artists for centuries. One of the most intriguing depictions of the iris is found in the graceful curves and vibrance of Georgia O’Keefe’s paintings. The aroma of this tea is flamboyant, its texture silky. It has the unmistakable scent of iris: an accord of lime blossom and creamy vanilla. At first, the bright acidity of peach and lime dominate. The next sip deepens with the velvetiness of roasted oolong. Peach and rose are the notes that linger. Adding milk introduces pistachio and white chocolate flavors. Chilling this tea deepens its earthiness to bring out roasted peach and dirty rose notes. An experience as mysterious and elegant as the intoxicating spring flower.
A tea perfect for afternoons and evenings of luxurious reverie.
Ingredients: formosa oolong tea, dried peach, persian pistachio, white chocolate, rose petals, flavoring
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
An Early Taste of Spring with Mountain Oolong Spring. . . . .
Mountain Oolong Spring from Mountain Tea Co. is truly a springtime tea. In the spring, everything blooms and bursts into life, and you can evoke this feeling by brewing a cup of this tea in your kitchen at home. I’ve had quite a few teas that smell like jasmine or rose, but this tea lights up with the fragrance of less typical flowers, soft and feminine like baby’s breath or lily of the valley.
Putting your nose into a cup of this tea will envelop you with this relaxing, perfumey sensation.
Beyond the flavor of flowers, there are nutty and buttery tones to help fill out the brew and give the tea a smooth, rich mouthfeel. The more I steeped these leaves, the brighter and greener the undertones became.
The most unique and memorable part of this tea is its forward floral accents.
If you’re a lover of flowery oolongs, Mountain Oolong Spring will be a perfect fit for your tastes.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Mountain Tea Co.
Description:
The character of a pot of tea tells a story about the leaf it originated from. Good tea is a mixed blessing for tea farmers; in general, the harder the tea plant struggles to grow, the more flavorful and tempered the finished brew becomes. For this reason higher elevation with colder temperatures and thinner air produces outstanding leaf.
The 2016 spring harvest of Mountain Oolong withstands high temperature water longer without introducing dryness to the flavor, producing a forgiving and well-behaved pot of tea for the busy brewer. The steeped cup reflects a beautifully clear yet deep honey gold color; the nose is creamy sweet over a faint, nostalgic scent of rice flower bud. Notes for this crop are sharp and floral, paired with a robust body. Expect flavors of citrus blossom mostly, nasal and high in the mouth. Properly brewed we found that this tea has even greater re-steep potential than past flushes, up to six or seven.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Ma Liu Mie the Monkey King and Monkey Picked Oolong from Teavivre
There’s a lot to take in with a name like Taiwan Monkey Picked (Ma Liu Mie) Tie Guan Yin Oolong Tea, but the most exciting part is “Monkey-Picked.” What? Really? There were monkeys involved in getting this tea from the tree to my teapot? According to legend, the steep cliff-side where this tea is grown is too treacherous for tea farmers to reach the leaves, so they trained monkeys to pick the leaves for them. Ma Liu Mie is an honorable nickname for this tea used by the locals, as well as the name of the tea-picking Monkey King of legend. Read more about the tea under the “more info” tab here.
My first impression of this tea is that the leaves are small and dense, not cut or broken, but simply in a different shape than the long curls of black tea I’ve come to expect. Dry, this oolong smells pleasantly earthy with a bit of stone-fruit sweetness like raisin or apricot. I followed the recommended brewing instructions, using very hot, boiling water and a hefty serving of tea leaves.
At first sip, I notice strong roasted flavors. However, this tea is not full-on smoke-flavored like lapsang souchong, instead it is more complex, like the perfect warm, golden-char flavor of eating food cooked over a campfire. There are some of the aged, fermented notes I tend to associate with pu erh, but they are much more gentle and less sour. This type of earthiness is concentrated and layered, with notes of toasted grains, warm woods, and new leather.
On a day-to-day basis, I drink tea that is drinkable and easy-going. I have to be in the right mood to want a bold, smokey lapsang souchong, or a challenging, fishy pu erh. This Monkey Picked Oolong is a perfect compromise between all three. It is so much more than a basic breakfast tea, but it is not so sour or smokey to bowl you over. It is gentle and earthy, smooth and toasted, and it has a well-earned, legendary reputation.
How could you not give Monkey Picked Oolong a try?
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Teavivre
Description:
Using Taiwan autumn tea as material, this Monkey Picked Tie Guanyin carefully selected by TeaVivre is baked slowly by soft fire (the baking process falls into three steps and every step lasts two minutes). The degree of fermentation is 100 percent so that the dried tea can keep a long-lasting fragrance. After brewing, the smell of honey peach and the baked flavor can be perfectly appreciated and the beverage tastes gorgeously smooth.